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Entry 8: Response to feedbackhttps://shenaecail.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/entry-8-response-to-feedback/
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The feedback I received from two members in the class was fairly similar, addressing two main ways I could improve my blog entries before submitting. These two improvements included the incorporation of pictures and editing my work. The biggest criticism was my lack of creativity. As suggested I therefore incorporated more images in my entries, making them more interesting and appealing to readers. As with all assignments I also needed to proof read my work to prevent grammatical or spelling errors weakening my mark. By proof reading I also corrected some inconsistencies with my entries such as the title missing on entry 3. Through marking other people’s blogs I also realised my teaching episode needed to incorporate more use of technology. I therefore decided to add the use of an interactive whiteboard at the end to bring the class together and reinforce what had been learnt during the lesson. I agree with the feedback I received as the improvements suggested were similar to the alterations I was planning to make anyway. Below are links to the marking rubrics I received feedback from, and one of the rubrics I completed for a peer.

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Below is the link to my teaching episode for educating Year 3 students on how to tell the time. The lesson plan involves a hands on activity, a work sheet and the use of technology for online academic games.

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Life-long learning involves individuals continually learning and expanding their knowledge past their school and tertiary years. This is particularly important for teachers as they are constantly having to update their knowledge and skills as curriculums change, new technologies are created and different topics are encountered in the classroom. Not only do teachers take part in life-long learning themselves, but they also aim to develop students with appropriate skills that enable and encourage them to engage in life-long learning in their lives beyond school. The ability for individuals to become life-long learners has however become much easier with the development of technology, and in particular the Internet. Access to the internet allows us to readily find any information we wish to know simply by the click of a button. With the advancement of technology we can even actively expand our learning by taking part in online courses. This makes ongoing learning more accessible in our busy lives as we can complete a degree without having to leave home and work it into whatever time of day best suits.

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What if you were told that your online gaming habit was setting you up with valuable skills for ‘real’ life. Excessive time spent on the computer will inevitably cause you to become very familiar with how it operates, making you an ideal employee to be either working on or with computers. As you begin to master different virtual games you may also develop skills such as meeting targets, allocating resources, strategic planning, teamwork and leadership skills which are all attributes that can be transferred into the workforce. Knowledge and skills learnt through online gaming can be transferred into everyday life, so the ability to encounter these obstacles through a virtual experience (and develop ways to overcome them) allows individuals to have a thorough understanding of such scenarios and cope better when faced with similar situations in reality. The resultant skills students develop from gaming can also be transferred into classroom learning and utilised to assist the learning of new content producing greater results and acquisition from students. For example students can transfer their ability to strategically plan into problem solving activities or group activities where they need to organise roles for a number of people to ensure a task is completed on time. So why not utilise this desire children have to engage in online gaming to promote involvement and interest from students by incorporating digital classroom activities.

Digital fluency describes the ability to confidently manipulate digital technologies to produce a desired outcome. This understanding of technology can often be transferred, as there are many similarities evident between devices. For example an individual who uses a Toshiba laptop fluently should also be able to operate a Mac laptop as they share fundamental similarities such as the key board, mouse pad and drop down menu. Transferring digital fluency is also evident through software updates such as the evolution of Microsoft from Microsoft Windows Version 1.01 to Windows 7 as shown in the image above. Although the appearance of each version often changes individuals are able to navigate their way through new versions due to their current level of understanding, and hence become fluent in the new version. With this in mind teachers can expand students’ digital fluency by using their existing knowledge as a basis for learning how to manipulate new devices or programs. This is important as although many children are regarded as digitally fluent, their fluency is often limited to recreational devices rather than education related technology. Therefore as digital fluency is adaptable and dynamic teachers can strategically incorporate educational technologies by building on their students’ current knowledge and expanding their capabilities so they can be regarded as digitally fluent across a broad range of devices.

Reference

Support for Microsoft office. (2013). Upgrade to windows 8 [Image]. Retrieved from

There is no limit to the amount of information available when using digital devices. I’m sure we are all familiar with the phrase ‘just Google it’, as that is simply all you need to do these days to receive the information you are seeking. The range of information is unlimited such as instructions to fold a paper airplane, what to cook for dinner, scientific facts and statistics, how to write an essay, global news, latest celebrity gossip and basically anything you will ever need or want to know. For a teacher this is an invaluable asset to their profession. The incredible degree of information they can acquire through digital devices means they can gain ideas for activities, have a good understanding of any topic they are teaching, use videos or animations in class to facilitate children’s learning, seek the answers to questions their students have and much more! So the problem isn’t the lack of information, it’s knowing how to find what you want. Ask your colleagues what websites they use. Sign up to a blog. Ask friends via social media. Limit the amount of words you type into the search bar. And try not to become too distracted by the thousands of links that appear while you browse the Internet.

Reference

The principle of change. (n.d.). The networked teacher [Image]. Retrieved from

The digital divide refers to the different degrees of access members of society have to computers or the internet. Teachers have an influential role in determining how much this affects their students. For example a teacher can create inequity among students if they assign homework requiring the internet and not all students have such access. The digital divide not only refers to access to the Internet and digital devices, but also considers the degree of knowledge individuals have regarding technology use. Some individuals have internet access but are unable to use or navigate devices due to lack of education and understanding. This can also cause inequity in the classroom if teachers naively assume all students have a certain level of understanding and commence teaching at a level higher than some children are at. This discriminates against members of the class as they are left behind in the lesson and cannot engage with the learning taking place. Due to this teachers need to be aware of the digital divide existing between members of the class when planning lessons or setting homework. This may involve finding alternative ways of teaching content in order to prevent inequity among students. Obviously teachers will also need to consider what technology the school has available to use during their lessons as the degree of technology available in different schools is also very diverse.

]]>https://shenaecail.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/entry-2-digital-divide/feed/0shenaecailImageEntry 1: Online Securityhttps://shenaecail.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/online-security/
https://shenaecail.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/online-security/#respondTue, 18 Mar 2014 01:45:08 +0000http://shenaecail.wordpress.com/?p=2]]>It is important that teachers acknowledge the growing use of technology in modern society and educate children about online security. This can include informing children about the various scams they may encounter and how to avoid being ‘sucked in’. A good saying for children to go by is; if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is. Cyber bullying is also increasingly important to acknowledge in the classroom as children are constantly accessing social media. This form of bullying is particularly critical to address as children will often say things via social media or txt that they wouldn’t usually say in a face-to-face situation. Therefore technology not only makes the degree of bullying more severe, but it also means the comments made can be recorded and used as evidence if such treatment continues. So when preparing a lesson or activity about bullying don’t forget to include cyber bullying, as that is the most common form of bullying in our modern digital world.